Hi all! My son who is 4yrs old keeps getting leg pains overnight. It first happened a few months ago. He would wake up crying saying his legs hurt but we didn't see or feel anything so we would give him motrin and wrote it off as growing pains. After a few nights the pains seemed to have stopped. But They started up again last night and this time it seemed like there might have actually been a cramp in his leg. It was hard to tell, he's very skinny with lean tight muscles as it is. But I massaged his leg and he said it felt better and went back to sleep. So now I'm wondering if this is more growing pains or are his calves cramping up overnight and what can I do about it?
Well most of the responses were overwhelmingly similar. SO I took that as a good sign and started to make sure my son ate a banana not too long before bedtime and it seems to be working. In fact the other night he didn't have one and sure enough the pains came back. So its bananas at bedtime from now on! Thanks so much for all of your help!!!
C.
My son had growing pains often. He grew to be very tall. But sometimes a lack of calcium and magnesium can cause leg cramps.
He might be getting charlie horse cramps in his legs. I used to get these and my mom started feeding me a banana a day along with a childrens multi vitamin. Some of those sudden leg cramps that you can get in the middle of the night are due to low potassium.
If he is having a charlie horse than maybe give him more potassium, it is found in bananas and other fresh fruit and vegtables. Ask his doctor if you can give him a potassium supplement.
Most likely it is growing pains, but leg cramps can also be a nutritional deficiency. Is he constipated? Go to Whole Foods and buy a product called Calm. It is a magnesium supliment and completely safe as the body naturally produces magnesium. It comes in different flavors and is made for babies, toddlers, moms etc. I use it for my kids and I used the mommy one when I was pregnant and getting leg cramps. Hope that helps
Never posted here before but I used to get these pains too, as a child, and my children have experienced similiar painful nights. The thing that helps is soaking in a warm tub. It was the only thing that would help me and after such stress at night when you're so tired on top of being unable to sleep because of pain, the warm soak facilitates sleep too. I'm all for an after soak massage too. I remember my mom, quite the herbal nutritionist, would try to get me to eat a banana, during the day in general , too,...something about its high potassium content being helpful. We just called them growing pains!
Hi C., my daughter gets these quite frequently and along with the suggestions for eating a banana at night we did peanut butter. The bananas didn't work so well for her so we gave her peanut butter. Either plain or with crackers on an apple or even a banana (double whammy), whichever they prefer. It may not work the very first night but every night after that she was able to sleep. Whenever her legs get "crampy" we make sure she gets ample peanut butter that day. Good luck to you!
C.,
Does your son take a mulivitamin? sometimes as they are growing and running and doing all the stuff little kids do, their bodies are not getting the correct balance of nutrition they need. I found with my middle son that when he had this same problem at about the same age (he was a bit older) we switched him to some vitamins that have a patented delivery system so that his body will actually absorb the maximum amount of each vitamin he needs when taking his vitamins. They are called Koala Pals, and they have a technology that when they are eaten they are seen by the body as food and not just some excess substance being eaten (only about 20% of a centrum vitamin is actually absorbed). The vitamin actually helped alleviate his pain because it was due to lack of proper nutrition, and he eats well, loves salad, loves his grains and meats, he wasn't "missing" anything in his diet, it just wasn't the right quantites for him at the right times.
I think you have gotten your fill of advice on this post. I just wanted you to know that I give my vote on the growing pains too. I had them something awful when I was smallish and my four year old daughter has had them for the past year. We work on getting the potassium and when they still wake her up, I give her tylenol and a little massage to help her get back to sleep.
well i still have this problem so i would say that it is probably not just growing pains. my mom always gave us vitamine e and some extra calcium. she also would give us warm milk this seemed to help. and still does.
It sounds like just growing pains to me. However, does he drink a lot of soda or other sugary stuff? His electrolytes could be low. I know powerade has sugar in it, but it also has the electrolytes, or you could try pedialyte. Have him drink one of those at dinner or something. Good luck!
my daughter is 18 now, but when she was younger we first thought her leg pains were growing pains. when she started first grade, she had this tall skinny teacher who noticed that my daughter would get flustered at certain times of the day (after recess, after gym, before lunch) and so she arranged to have my daughter keep some crackers and apple juice at hand. then BEFORE these events (all these times had to do with extra activity or too much time between eating), the teacher would gently and quietly ask my daughter to eat a cracker, drink a small apple juice (4 ozs) and tadahhh! no more incidents of my daughter kinda getting flustered/unhinged. and then, turns out...that at night no more leg pains. i spoke to her wise teacher about all this and she told me that she had learned this about herself when growing up and saw that my daughter had the same body build (no meat on her, rather skinny) and figured that these body types dehydrate quicker and need to refuel sooner than other body types. it sure worked well for my daughter! now, as a teenager, she does get restless legs during the day and has learned that making sure to take vitamins with iron/calcium keep her from getting that restlessness during the day. i have no idea if the early leg pains have anything in common with today's restless legs, but both have been nicely addressed through diet/hydration.
best to you on this!
So one more of the same - when I was having leg pains during pregnancy my doctor said to STRETCH & EAT BANANAS!!!
Stock up on milk, sounds like he's growing alot! ha, ha!
Hi C.!
You might try supplementing Calcium right before bed. Calcium is a natural muscle relaxant. I use and trust Shaklee products- their Osteomatrix is what I would recommend.
Have you looked into visiting a Natropath? I believe that they would help you find the root cause and natural solutions versus potentially just putting your son on medications that only address the symptoms and not the true issue.
Good luck!
H.
My 4 year old son had the same problem and I didn't like having to give him Motrin each night and the massaging would help only temporarily. I still think it was a growth spurt but I started giving him a banana about 7:00 for the potassium. It seems to have stopped the cramps for now. I am not sure what the deal is but it worked for us. Good luck.
If he is super active during the day, give him a banana before bedtime. The potatssium in them helps with muscules.
Motrin too especially if it is growing pains. My son went through that tooo. Make sure he stays super hydrated too during the day.
My 5 year old does the same thing and she is also very skinny! I believe it is just growing pains an the best thing to do is massage it for them. It works for her and it worked for me growing up too! I remember getting up and going to tell my parents that my legs hurt and having my dad rub them for me. So I haven't been to concerned about it and figure it's just part of growing up! Literally!
I remember those- my mom would rub my legs or give me a hot water bottle. But as I've gotten them in adulthood I hear I need to increase my water intake and take a calcium/magnesium supplement at bed time. Potassium too, like the other gals said. Heck, a few stretches before bed couldn't hurt either. Sorry for the little fella, tell him it's because he's growing stronger...
My 6 y/o daughter goes through this same experience everytime she grows. She is also very lean muscled and gets the pains for a few nights, it goes away and then will re-appear about 5 days later again for a few nights. The only suggestion I can offer is to do what you are doing and massage the calf. You can also increase his potassiam (sp?), that helps with cramping.
If the cramps are also accompanied by bed wetting, weight loss and fatigue speak with his doctor immediately. Those are all symptoms of type 1 diabetes, that is how my husband was diagnosed.
Good luck to you and I am sure it is just growing pains.
Bananas! I get leg cramps, but not if I eat a banana before bed.
Hey C., growing pains can be very uncomfortable for kids. I've used alfalfa tablets, you can find them at any decent health food store. The oxygen in the alfalfa helps calm the nerve endings and helps relieve the pain.
Good luck, J. Sexton www.tag-youre-.com
My very skinny sons have the same problem when they are growing. At the first signs of a growth spurt we start keeping extra bananas in the house and they have a banana smoothie made with dairy as a bedtime snack. This seems to have cured the problem.
C.,
If it is growing pains, there is a homeopathic product called traumeel that works great. It helps with pain. I put a few drops in my daughter's water, and have her drink that when her legs hurt. Also, I occasionally have her drink a product called natural calm. It is a powdered magnesium beverage--and they make one version with calcium too. It needs to be dissolved in hot water, so I dissolve it in hot water, and then add cool water until it is just warm, and have her drink that before bed. It works great. As a side note, I had restless, crampy legs during pregnancy, and the nights when I couldn't sleep, I would get up, take this and be asleep in 10 minutes. It works that fast. Also, for general minerals, coconut water is great. I use this for my daughter on active days, or instead of pedialyte or gatorade when she has vomiting or diarrhea. You can find all these things at whole foods, wild oats or vitamin cottage. Good luck! Hang in there!
It is one of two things; growing pains or charlie horses He needs to walk it off if it is a charlie horse. Either way it would help to up his milk supply and give him a magnisuim supplement.
some of my kids had them and some did not.
C. B
I would start with having him drink more water or 1/2 water 1/2 gatorade and see if that helps.
The exact cause of night leg cramps isn't known. Some experts believe they may be due to abnormal processing of electrolytes — essential elements and chemical substances your body needs for basic functions — by muscles. Almost everyone has occasional leg cramps. But they occur most often in older adults. Common causes of night leg cramps include:
Muscle overexertion
Prolonged sitting
Dehydration
Pregnancy
Diabetes
Decreased potassium levels
Neuromuscular disorders, such as Parkinson's disease
Certain medications, such as albuterol, niacin, diuretics, and some calcium channel blockers and antipsychotic medications
Alcohol use
If you do get a leg cramp, you may be able to make it go away by:
Walking on the affected leg
Massaging the affected muscle
Straightening your leg and flexing your foot toward your knee until you feel the calf muscles stretch
Applying a cold pack to the affected muscle
Taking a hot bath
To help prevent night leg cramps:
Drink plenty of fluids during the day.
Stretch your leg muscles before bedtime.
Get adequate potassium in your diet.
If you have frequent and severe leg cramps at night, talk to your doctor. Treatment results vary. But the most effective treatments based on current research are:
Vitamin B-12
Gabapentin
Night leg cramps should be distinguished from another common cause of night leg discomfort called restless legs syndrome, a condition in which your legs have a creepy, crawly or fidgety sensation unless you move them. The sensation often worsens as night approaches. Restless legs syndrome is a neurologic condition that requires different treatment from that of night leg cramps.
growing pains. not much you can do. I think it happens more in boys and "athletic built" girls. They grow very fast while sleeping and it hurts. I remember my mom up hours with my sister rubbing her legs. Seems she took her hands so they were flat and rubbed on either side like she was rolling out a snack of play-duh. you miht just get him up and have him walk around a bit or something...bu t I know that may interfer int he sleep patern for him as he is young. Maybe try taking him outside and sitting on your porch for a minue. quietly talk about the wind, the sounds, the stars, sing a lullaby. Just get him in a diferent spot and mood so he can forget and go back to sleep faster. It will pass and he will be like two inches taller!
What you have done so far is great. As a child I had regular leg aches at night. One of my parents would rub my legs at night. Sometimes they would use horse linament. As an adult, I take a bath every night to ease my aches and pains. Also, make sure your son is drinking enough water during the day. Have him eat a banana.
Hi C.,
I know this can be miserable for your son, my son went through this too and I kept taking him to the doctor because it was so painful for him but they couldn't find nothing wrong. He finally out grew it and we chalked it up to growing pains. He is now 25 and doing great.
When he was going through the pain we gave him tylenol as needed for the pain and if it was untolerable for him he would soak in a warm bath with Aspirn in the water, and that seemed to help.
Good luck
Hi C.,
We used moist heat (damp wet with hot water towel) for the growing pains and once we got him drinking more water we didn't have a problem with him cramping at night (and my husband suffers from leg cramps too because pretty much all he drinks are cokes-when he drinks water, no problem with cramping at night). Hope that helps!
I have to same problem my mom told me that it from not drink enough water during the day or not gettin enough of a protein. She would make me drink a glass of water and eat a bannanna before bed and it always seemed to help. Now with expecting a little one they have gotten worse. So at night I make sure I do what she use to make me to. Try that or have him drink a little extra water during the day. I think that may help you a out some.
if its cramps ive heard potassium helps. Give him bananas or other foods high in potassium and keep him hydrated.
This is most likely growing pains. My daughter, who is almost 14, has gotten them over the years. Our ped. told me to pay attention to whether they were happening only on one specific spot, only on one leg, as that could be an indicator of something else, otherwise not to worry. It's not a fun way to grow, but unfortunately some kids just have to go through it that way. My daughter has always done her growing in definite spurts. She will stay at the same height for months, then suddenly shoot up. I guess when it happens that way, it will hurt. The fact that it's happening at night is also an indicator, as that's when most growth occurs, although when my daughter really was growing, such as the onset of puberty, she would feel it more frequently in the day as well. At any rate, what your son is going through does sound exactly what my daughter has gone through. We handled it just like you are, with Motrin and massages. Good luck!
Try giving him calcium/magnesium capsules, or liquid. Getting trace minerals is also very important for growing children. There are also come great herbal tinctures out there for growing pains. Try looking at Vitamin Cottage - herbs for kids section.
It could be several things. They probably are growing pains, but they might be more painful than typical growing pains due to slight dehydration. With the weather getting warmer and kids typically being more physical outside he could need more fluids. Try giving him water or gatorade before bedtime (I know lots of parents dislike this because of potential bed-wetting) and have him do some stretches extending his calf muscle. My daughter had something similar, and this seemed to work for her. Good luck!
Our son gets these, and I remember them from being a child myself. Potassium and Calcium will help. For our son, there is a link between how much milk he has and the cramps. The phosphates in the milk can out due the calcium's help. We have found milk at breakfast or lunch is okay, later in the day gives him cramps. Usually just stretching his legs helps once the cramp has started.
My son is 4 and gets those all the time. Somehow his calves tense up and he gets cramps in them. He cries like he is in a lot of pain, and we are up for at least an hour rubbing them to calm him down. Our pediatrician said to give him ibuprofen every night for a week before bed. Also load him up with bananas if he likes them. The potassium in them help out a lot. I have noticed that if my son eats lots of bananas he doesn't get the cramps. Another thing is to check the shoes he wears during the day. If they are heavy or clunky then that puts strain on the calves and he could end up with leg cramps too. Good Luck :)
C.,
My daughters experienced the same thing. It turns out they both have flat feet. The stress of walking on a flat arch all day made their legs cramp/hurt at night. Massaging helped. I started buying really good shoes with great arch support. Now they have orthotics that I bought in a shoe store. As soon as I began supporting their arches the pain went away.
In addition to upping their calcium and potassium intake, we would put a small amount of icy hot or ben gay with lotion and massage our sons legs. It really helped and the pains do eventually go away but they are very painful. Be patient, they are just growing and nurturing is very comforting...You're a great mom. Keep up the good work!
My little brother used to get leg cramps like that at night. The only thing that would help were giving him milk at dinner (we had bedwetting problems with him so no liquids after dinner) and a leg massage when he'd wake up with leg cramps. Maybe try giving him tums before bed, and see if that helps. Potassium may also help, so a banana before bed might be worth trying too. Good luck!
I highly suggest calcium suppliments...a calcium/magnesium supplement. If you're interested in a brand; I only use Shaklee. Do your research and pick a high quality one like that.
My almost 4 yr old suffers the same way. We find it is worse on days he has been quite active. I don't know if it is growing pains or cramps, but I think, in general, they can be handled the same way. Hydration is key. We will give him some gatorade and motrin and then rub his legs until they feel better. My son is also very lean and I will be taking the other posters advice about needing to refuel and rehydrate more often!
And if it is any consolation, my daughter who is almost 6 went through this until she was 5 then they tapered off. Now it is a rare occurrence.
Good Luck!
Great suggestions. I had "growing pains" and both of my children have had/have them (15 year old girl, 6 year old boy). Bananas--great, plenty of water, tylenol, motrin, whatever and also, there's some stuff called Absorbine Jr. It's a roll-on pain reliever (or you can also use things like icy hot, etc.--although they have a strong smell, they definitely work!) I hope it is JUST growing pains and nothing more.
Hope this helps!
When I was a kid and I would get growing pains in my leg, my mom would put rubbing alcohol all over the area that hurt and tell me to keep my legs elevated. It really helped!
I remember having these pains as a child - ouch! My 3-yr. old daughter often complains of this too. When she's had an especially active day, I usually make sure to do a warm bath before bed and give her some Tylenol before bed to circumvent the problem before it happens. On another note, my father-in-law had this problem and his Dr. told him to take a spoonful of molasses every day. Apparently molasses is very high in potassium - it worked for my FIL! Good luck!
C.,
Have you talked to your family physician?
This might be more serious than you realize.
There are several growth disorders as possibilities.
With my whole heart,
C.
Something that works so well for the pain, I read in "Runner's World" magazine. When you get a cramp, bend your foot UP, with your toes pointing up towards you and hold it. The natural reaction is to point your toes, but it makes the pain worse and lasts so much longer. Hopefully, your little guy can do this; it's amazing how well it works. Potassium in bananas also helps. Good luck!
I think they could be growing pains, but make sure he is drinking lots of water and staying hydrated. Dehydration can cause cramps. My son always seems to get these leg pains at night. He loves having a hot water bottle, even if it's just for comfort! If you are really worried and they continue or really disrupt sleep, call your pediatrician. Take care!
I would have him take his vitamin and a tums (one for calcium) at night right before bed, also have him to some simple stretches (toe raises) to help stretch the muscle out before sleep. But if that didn't help, I would make an appointmenet with his dr to make sure it is just growing pains or muscle cramps and not something more serious. Hope this helps!
I would take him to a podiatrist, I know a good one but I don't know where you live but find a good one. I use to work for one and it's actually more common than you think I he has flat feet or too high of an arch that might be the problem. It's usually worse after a lot of activity.
Aub
my legs would do the same thing when i was little and some times still does, the only thing that we found would help was to get plenty of potasium in my diet like bananas, and drink plenty of water.
My 8 year old daughter started getting leg pains at night when she was about 4 and our 4 year old daughter started getting them a few months ago. It is probably just growing pains. I asked our pediatrician about them and he suggested orange juice, increased potassium (banannas and such), motrin and heat. When the girls get them, we heat up a towel in the microwave for about 30 seconds and wrap it around their leg. Motrin has become our friend! It usually happens in cycles though - or after a busy day of playing. Usually we know that when they run and play A LOT during a day we will probably be up sometime in the night with one if not both of them. They are awful and painful - but they will pass. Good luck.
